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Baltimore County police chief refutes rape investigation allegations

Department to re-examine unfounded rape cases from last three years

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Updated: 6:26 PM EDT Sep 9, 2016

Baltimore County police Chief Jim Johnson refutes claims made in a BuzzFeed report that his department declared alleged rapes as unfounded on a higher than average basis. BuzzFeed investigated Baltimore County police rape cases filed in 2014 and found police dismiss them as unfounded 34 percent of the time, which would be almost five times the national average. The report alleges that detectives often didn't investigate them at all.

Baltimore County police chief refutes rape investigation allegations

Department to re-examine unfounded rape cases from last three years

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Updated: 6:26 PM EDT Sep 9, 2016

TOWSON, Md. —

Baltimore County police Chief Jim Johnson refutes claims made in a BuzzFeed report that his department declared alleged rapes as unfounded on a higher than average basis.

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BuzzFeed investigated Baltimore County police rape cases filed in 2014 and found police dismiss them as unfounded 34 percent of the time, which would be almost five times the national average. The report alleges that detectives often didn't investigate them at all.

Johnson said the article contains a number of misrepresentations, but pledges to look at all of the cases to ensure, in his words, that justice was served.

"I am concerned about several of the cases and the way they were handled. I've decided to take a look at unfounded cases to ensure that we did everything that we could possibly do to ensure that this case was classified properly," Johnson said, though he took issue with specific allegations made in the report.

"As a former prosecutor, my expectation is that every allegation of sexual assault be given thorough professional review,” Kamenetz said in a statement. “I am extremely concerned about these serious allegations, and I have directed Chief Johnson to provide me with additional information about how the department has and will handle rape cases."

Johnson has directed the Criminal Investigation Bureau to re-examine all unfounded rape cases that have occurred over the last three years.

“While each of these cases already has been investigated, we will take a fresh look to ensure that the investigation was handled properly and that justice was done,” Johnson said in a statement.

According to Baltimore County police, contrary to the BuzzFeed report, an officer interviews any individual who reports a rape. That officer also consults with a member of the Special Victims Unit, police said.

Police said each case is thoroughly reviewed on multiple levels to determine whether the specific incident meets the legal criteria for rape in Maryland. Officers also routinely consult with the Baltimore County state’s attorney on rape cases.

According to a news release from the Police Department, the BuzzFeed article relies heavily on an Oct. 12, 2014 case involving a woman who fell asleep in her car after becoming intoxicated and who reports she was raped by a man who invited her to his home to recover.

Police said the woman in this case told officers she talked with the person who allegedly raped her for an hour and accepted an invitation to watch a movie in his bedroom before he had unwanted sex with her. She told police she did not want to prosecute and the Special Victims Unit ruled the case unfounded.

According to police, the woman apparently told BuzzFeed that she later changed her mind and reported additional information to the officer on the case.

Johnson said he has asked detectives and the State’s Attorney’s Office to re-examine the case.

"I read the report. It does, in fact, state that the victim did not wish to take the investigation further. We are looking at the case now. It was one of the unfounded cases that we will examine," Johnson said.

Johnson also disagrees with BuzzFeed’s assertion that in at least 15 cases police wrote that the victims didn’t fight back hard enough. County police reviewed each of the reports provided to Buzzfeed and the allegation is not accurate, Johnson said.

"The BuzzFeed allegations are simply false. The BuzzFeed article, for example, makes a statement that in 15 cases, my officers said, quote, 'The victim did not fight back hard enough.' That is false," Johnson said. "In only one case did I find anything even remotely close where an officer wrote that the victim did not resist to the best of her ability."

Johnson said while the department disputes many of BuzzFeed’s assertions, it intends to use the article to re-examine procedures to see if there are any areas the in need of improvement.

"The Baltimore County Police Department's absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our victims are treated appropriately," Johnson said. "I want to assure your listeners that we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served."